Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	word_n	worship_n	write_v	65	3	5.4920	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17576	The pastor and the prelate, or reformation and conformitie shortly compared by the word of God, by antiquity and the proceedings of the ancient Kirk, by the nature and use of things indifferent, by the proceedings of our ovvne Kirk, by the vveill of the Kirk and of the peoples soules, and by the good of the commonvvealth and of our outvvard estate with the answer of the common & chiefest objections against everie part: shewing vvhether of the tvvo is to be follovved by the true Christian and countrieman.	Calderwood, David, 1575-1650.	1628 (1628)	STC 4359; ESTC S107402	71,807	74

in peace then eyther under persecution or heresie that she had brought up and exalted her sonnes they had despised her If a professed Heretick should arise she could cast him forth of her bosome if a violent enemie she could hide her selfe frō him but now whom shall the Kirk cast out or frō whom shall she hide her self all are friends yet all are enemies al are domesticks yet none seek her true peace for all seeke their owne things and not the things of Iesus Christ. They are the ministers of Christ serue the Antichrist He complayneth that devotion had brought forth riches the mother had devoured her daughter That of old the Bishops were of gold the cups of wood but now the bishops haue chāged their metall with the cups That of old Christians had darke Kirks but lightsome hearts but now lightsome kirks and darke hearts That the prelates inquired what rent the bishoprick rendered and not how many soules were to be fed in it That their bodies were clad with purple and silke but had threedbare consciences That their care was greater to emptie mens purses then to extirpate their vices That when they consecrate a Prelate they kill a good man by advancing him That no greater evill could be wished to any man then that he be made pope That in the estate of the Kirk Heauen is below and earth is aboue The spirit obeyeth and the flesh commandeth That in the mouths of the Prelates was the law of vanitie and not the law of veritie and that the lips of the priestes under them kept secular and not spirituall knowledge And when he searched the causes of the Kirks miserie he condescended upon the neglecting of Scripture and multiplication of mens inventions the ignorance and idlenes of prelates like dumbe dogges that could not barke their covetousnesse aboue the Pharisees They suffred doues to be solde in the temple but these sell both Kirk and sacrifice Their pride and ambition declared in theyr great horses and other superfluous pompe and that as sonnes of Belial they haue cast off the yoke not induring that any should aske them why they doe so and so the unequall proportion seen in the Kirk when one is hungrie an other drunke some so enormiously overgone in riches and pompe that the weaknes of the rest is not able to beare them The PRELATE still madde of avarice and ambition stood upon the four corners of the earth holding the four winds of the earth that they should not blowe and opposed himselfe against the doctrine and complaint of the Pastors condemning them for Hereticks giving out against them decrees of corrupt councels thundring them with anathematismes persecuting them by fire and sword He punished the clergie under him more severely for the neglect of a ceremonie then for sacriledge or adulterie and finally least his fraude and falsehoode should be knowen he forbad all men the reading and using the holy Scripture 8. The PASTOR and all good men that longed and laboured for the reformation of the Christian Kirk for the space of fiue hundred yeeres as the Waldenses Marsilius Patavinus Wickleife and his schollers Husse and his followers and all such as the Lord used for instruments in working the reformation as Luther Calvin Brentius Bullingerus Musculus c. did teach that all pastors are of equall authoritie by the word of God and all that space of time urged this point of reformation as without which no successe could be expected in the reformation of the doctrine and worship The PRELATE knowing as it was often preached written all that time of 500 yeares that the maine cause of the corruptions of the Kirk was his owne place his pride and his avarice and that the desired and urged reformation of the Kirk which was now brought to that passe that as one sayes well she could never beare her owne disease nor yet suffer remedie behoved to beginne at himselfe the greatest byle in all ehe bodie by all meanes held off reformation as his owne ruine and when severall nations were bringing it aboute he could never be moved to giue his consent so deare was his myter and bellye unto him The Prelates objection THE PRELATE will confesse that it were better to haue no Bishops then such monsters as the Roman Kirk brought forth but prydeth himselfe in antiquitie and affirmeth that the Christian Kirk in all places for the space of three hundreth yeares after Christ and his Apostles had Bishops in everie thing like himselfe that afterward the shepheards became wolues The Pastors answer THAT which Tertullian in his time said unto the Gentils may be replyed to our Prelates Ye boast of antiquitie but your dayly life is after the new fashion Maister Phantastico at Athens whensoever he perceived any ships entring into the harboure he strongly apprehended that they were his owne and used to sease upon them as if they had beene his owne indeede So deale our Prelates with the ancient Bishops they come no sooner in their sight but they take them for their owne albeit they be verie unlike unto them for were they living they would blush and be ashamed that such should be called their successors as Angelo the famous Italian Painter pourtrayed Peter and Paul for the use of a Cardinall at Rome with redde and high coloured faces shewing thereby that if they were living they would blush at the pompe and pride of the Prelates of that time Our Prelates are rather of the late Roman cutte and not so like unto the primitiue as unto the popish Bishops who comparing themselues with others before ours now come after them might say with the Poet Our parents age worse then their predecessors Hath brought us forth more wicked their successors Ere it be long if we continew thus We will bring forth a broode more vitious 1. For the Primitiue bishops after that the name of Bishop common to all pastors beganne to be impropriat were neyther ordeyned by bishops nor metrapolitanes but onely chosen by pastors to be their constant moderators or perpetuall presidents but without warrant from God or his trueth Our Prelate must first by a simulate forme of election be made my Lord Elect and then receiue a new consecratiou with a new guise of Ceremonies drawen from the Roman Pontificall as litle knowen to poore antiquitie as the words themselues of ordination consecration c. 2. The Primitiue Bishops looking more to the bewtie then dignitie suffered violence and were constreyned by pastors and people whether they would or not to receiue the charge Our Prelate when the Bishop is an old man then he standeth diligently and learneth fast but onely how to make credite at court and when after long exspectation the place is voyde by posting promising and propyuing he procureth himselfe to be chosen first without the knowledge and syne against the will both of Pastors and people

the Prelates which make up one of the three estates that ye are but shallowe and considers not what depth this drawes The Pastors answer WE knowe that of all rancks there be some who loue their pleasures more then God and these according to the first flattering parte of the objection will say with the old verse Non mihi sit Servus Medicus Propheta Sacerdos He is no servant fit for me Who Phisitian Prophet Priest will be For such may neyther abide to be cured of their spirituall evils by the Counsell of God nor to heare of the evils that will come if they refuse to be cured nor to exhorted to repentance when the calamities are turned upon them that they may be turned away but all are not such and from which while they are in their pleasures we make appellation to themselues while they are in the paines or terrors of death to be presented before the judge whether thē the pastor or prelate pleaseth thē better The other part of the objection the wisdome of the King and of the honourable Estates of Parliament can answer who know how a Parliament may be perfect without eyther Pastor or Prelate If by the name of a parliament we understand a generall nationall meeting of the whole Kingdome and Kirk by their Commissioners with their supreame Magistrate and King every one to giue his advise and judgment respectiue according to the nature of the societie civil or ecclesiasticall which he presents commissioners of the Kirk to giue resolution from the word of God if neede be concerning matters civill but not to meddle with civill causes civilly and to propone petitions to the King estates for the good of the Kirk to require their civill sanction to see that nothing be concluded in things civill that may be a hinderance to the worship of God The Nobilitie with Cōmissioners of Barons and Burrowes for civill matters to add the civill sanction in the matters of Gods worship Kirkmen chosen instructed by the Kirk may sit in Parliament after this sense and are bound to cōtribute their best help for the honour of the King good both of Kirk and Countrey But if by a Parliament we understand the highest Court supreame judicature civill medling onely with civill matters or with matters of religion civilly as to adde the civill sanction and to ratifie by civill authoritie what hath been put in Cannon by the Kirk before thē the assembly of the Kirk or their Commissioners may or should attend the High Court of parliament as the Convocation house doth in our neighbour Kingdome but can haue no place nor vote in parliament neither in making lawes aboute things civill nor in the civill authorising in matters of Religion for Ministers should not judge of the right of inheritance nor pronounce sentence aboute forfeyture nor make lawes about weights and measures c. but should exhort the people to obey the civill powers Without bishops or ministers lawes haue been made by Parliament may be made now no lesse then without Abbots Priors c. who had once vote in Parliament no lesse then they Their benefices are Baronies in respect whereof they claime vote in parliament but they are not Barons or proprietars heretable possessors thereof to transmit them to their heirs or to alienate them but onely are usufructuaries to haue the use of the fruits of them for their time Neither doth it suite with the ministers calling to haue such Baronies nor are they to be reckoned for ecclesiasticall persons but for civill when they haue place in parliament in respect of these Baronies and therefore cannot vote there in name of the Kirk TO conclude then whether we looke to the word of God or to the more pure and primitiue times of the Kirk or to the nature use of things indifferent or to the Reformation and proceeding of our owne Kirk or the good of the Kirk and of the peoples soules or to the happinesse of the Commonwealth and the good of every one from the King that sitteth upon the Throne to him that heweth the woode and draweth the water we may see whether the Pastor or the Prelate whether Reformation or Conformitie is to be followed by the true Christian and Countreyman And that there is as greate difference betwixt the Bishops of our times and the faythfull Pastors of the Reformed Kirks as is from the light that commeth from the starres of heauen and the thick darkenesse that ariseth from the bottomlesse pitte And it may be made manifest that since Bishops were cast in the moulde of the man of sinne wheresoever they haue ruled whether amongst the Papisticall and the Reformed some fewe excepted who when they ventured upon these places wente out of their owne element they haue been the greatest plagues both to Kirks and Kingdomes that ever had authoritie in the Christian world Neither needeth any man to object that the Comparison that we haue made runneth all the way betwixt the good Pastor and the evill Prelate and therefore may be answered by the like unequall comparison betwixt the good Prelate and the evill Pastor as if the most part of the episcopall evils aboue mentioned were onely the personall faults of the men not the corruptions necessarily accōpanying the estate and order of Prelates and that if good men fill these places there is no danger but the Kirk may be aswell or better governed by prelates then by Pastors for the comparison is not so much betwixt the Pastor and Prelate as betwixt the office of a Pastor and the office of a Prelate or Bishop It is one thing as Augustine sayth to use an unlawfull power lawfully and an other thing to use a lawfull power unrighteously and unjustly Pastors may haue their owne personal infirmities and never so many as under the Prelates gouvernment and Prelates may haue their owne good parts and never so many as by the occasion of the Pastors opposition but neyther the one nor the other are to be ascribed to their offices nor is the lawfulnesse and unlawfulnesse of their offices to be judged by their persons It is true when an unlawful power and a lawlesse man meete together the case of those that are under his authoritie must be the worse as we may see in the Papacie which being alwaies evill for the Kirk yet haue proved worse when monsters in steade of men haue sitte in that seate But it is evident that the evils which Prelates and their Lordly government bring upon the Kirk doe flowe from their sole jurisdiction exorbitant power medling in civill government and the curse of God upon that unlawfull estate all which are common to the whole order and not peculiar to some persons And the corruptions which are common to all in these places although greater in some then in others of necessitie must flowe from the unlawfulnesse of the state and office it selfe It is so